Description

America's finest crime writer sends hero Billy Bob Holland deep into Montana - paradise to some, to others a savage wilderness...When Billy Bob Holland visits his old friend Doc Voss, he finds himself caught up in a horrific tragedy. Doc's daughter has been brutally attacked by bikers, and the ringleader, Lamar Ellison, walks free when the DNA samples 'get lost'. Then Ellison is burned alive and Doc is arrested. So much for Billy Bob's vacation - Doc needs a lawyer, and fast. And that's not all. Newly released killer Wyatt Dixon has tracked Billy Bob to Montana, bent on avenging the death of his sister for which he holds Billy Bob responsible. And Wyatt is only one thread of a tangled web of evil that includes neo-Nazi militias, gold miners who tip cyanide into the rivers, a paedophile ring, and the Mob. As the corpses of the guilty and innocent pile up, Billy Bob stands alone.show more

About James Lee Burke

James Lee Burke is the author of many previous novels, many featuring Detective Dave Robicheaux. He won the EDGAR AWARD in 1998 for CIMARRON ROSE, while BLACK CHERRY BLUES won the EDGAR in 1990 and SUNSET LIMITED was awarded the CWA GOLD DAGGER in 1998. He lives with his wife, Pearl, in Missoula, Montana and New Iberia, Louisiana. www.jamesleeburke.comshow more

Review Text

Burke's reputation as one of the finest writers in the US - in any genre - will be further consolidated by this powerful and involving novel. Ex-Texas Ranger (now lawyer) Billy Bob Holland is on a visit to his friend Doc Voss, still coming to terms with his involvement in the Vietnam conflict. Doc's daughter is savagely gang-raped by bikers, and a miscarriage of justice means that the bikers' leader walks free. Then Doc is arrested, and Billy Bob finds that representing his friend is only one of the problems he has to face - a newly released killer is on his tail. As with previous Burke novels, this is American writing at its most idiomatic and powerful, with dialogue and characterisation (notably the beleaguered Doc) as sharp as anything Burke produced. (Kirkus UK)show more